1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a processing apparatus configured to process an object such as a device manufacturing apparatus, for example, an exposure apparatus configured to expose a substrate to radiant energy such as light.
2. Description of the Related Art
As discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-75853, in a semiconductor exposure processing, an exposure apparatus automatically receives a wafer coated with a photosensitive material from a coating and developing apparatus conveyed by a wafer conveyance robot provided in the coating and developing apparatus. Then, the wafer is exposed by the exposure apparatus to light. Then, the exposure-completed wafer is automatically transferred to the coating and developing apparatus conveyed by a wafer conveyance robot in the exposure apparatus.
The semiconductor exposure process proceeds without problem when the wafer conveyance processing, the photosensitive material coat processing, the exposure processing, and the exposed wafer development processing proceed smoothly. However, when a problem occurs and continuous processing has to be stopped for maintenance, an operator, for example, has to manually recover the wafer.
In a case of a stand-alone apparatus, an exposure apparatus or a coating and developing apparatus includes a mechanism which stops an operation of a conveyance robot in the apparatus when a maintenance door of the apparatus is opened for maintenance. However, for example, even if a drive of a conveying unit of the exposure apparatus is stopped before maintenance work is performed on the conveying unit of the exposure apparatus, if a drive of a conveying unit of the coating and developing apparatus is not stopped, the operator may not be able to perform maintenance on the exposure apparatus, and further, a problem may occur in the use of the exposure apparatus or the coating and developing apparatus.